Discovery Call Script & Flow Template

Before the call — 5-minute prep checklist

• Reviewed prospect's company, role, and any info from marketing/SDR notes
• Identified likely pain hypothesis based on role/industry/trigger event
• Prepared 2-3 Situation questions specific to this prospect (not generic)
• Blocked full call length + 10 minutes buffer for notes immediately after

Opening (0:00 – 3:00)

Rapport (30 seconds max):

"Hi [Name], thanks for making time today. Before we dive in — [genuine, specific observation] — how's that going?"

Agenda + permission:

"Here's what I'd like to do today: spend the first part understanding how [process/area] works for you today and where it's creating friction, then if it makes sense, show you specifically how [Company] addresses that — and if it doesn't look like a fit, I'll tell you that too. Sound fair?"

Confirm time and stakes:

"We've got [X] minutes — does that still work? Is there anything specific you were hoping to get out of this call?"

Branch: if they state their own agenda item here, note it and address it explicitly before the call ends — this is usually their real "why now."

Situation Phase (3:00 – 10:00) — orient, don't interrogate

Ask 3-5 Situation questions max (see SPIN Selling Question Bank).

"Walk me through how [process] works today, end to end." "Who else is involved, and where does it typically slow down or get stuck?" "What are you currently using to manage that?"

Branch point:

• Short, surface-level answers → "What does that look like day to day?"
• Prospect volunteers a problem immediately → follow the energy into Problem/Implication early; backfill Situation later.

Problem Phase (10:00 – 20:00) — where the call is won or lost

Transition:

"That's helpful context. Where does that process feel hardest, or where do things tend to break down?"

Ask 3-5 Problem questions targeted at your pain hypothesis. Listen for "frustrating," "manual," "we just deal with it," "it's fine but..." and follow with:

"Say more about that."

Branch point:

• Named a problem casually and moved on → "You mentioned that almost in passing — how big a deal is that actually?"
• "No real problems, it mostly works" → "If you had to improve one thing anyway, what would it be?"
• Named 3+ problems → "Of everything you just described, which one actually keeps you up at night?" — go deep on that one only.

Implication Phase (20:00 – 30:00) — the highest-skill 10 minutes

Transition:

"Let's dig into that a bit more, because I want to make sure I understand the real impact, not just the surface issue."

Ask 2-4 Implication questions:

"What does that actually cost you — in time, in dollars, in missed opportunity?" "How does that affect [downstream team/customer/your own targets]?" "If this doesn't change, what does that look like six months from now?"

Branch point:

• Can't quantify it → "Even roughly — is this a 'minor annoyance' or a 'this needs to change this year' problem?"
• Minimizes it after naming it → "Earlier you said [X] — help me understand how that squares with 'it's not a big deal.'"
• Gets animated/specific → slow down, stay quiet, let them keep talking.

Need-Payoff Phase (30:00 – 38:00) — let them sell themselves

Transition:

"If that were solved — even hypothetically — what would that actually mean for you and the team?"

Ask 2-3 Need-Payoff questions:

"What would it be worth to get that time/cost/risk back?" "How would that change what you're able to focus on instead?" "How would you describe the value of fixing this to your own boss?"

Do not pitch yet. Let them articulate value in their own words — use their exact language in the proposal and the close.

Recap & Next Steps (38:00 – 45:00)

Recap in their words:

"Let me play back what I heard: today, [process] works like [X], but it breaks down at [problem], which is costing you [implication], and if that were solved it would mean [need-payoff, in their words]. Did I get that right?"

Branch: if they correct you, that's good — write the correction down verbatim.

Light-touch MEDDIC qualification:

"Who else, besides you, would need to be involved in a decision like this?" "What does your evaluation process typically look like once you're seriously considering something?"

Propose next step — specific, not vague:

"Based on what you've shared, I'd like to [show you specifically how we solve X / bring in Y to speak to the technical side / put together a short business case using the numbers you gave me]. Does [specific day/time] work to reconvene?"

Close the call:

"Thanks for being open with me today — this was really helpful. I'll send a short recap by [time] with what we covered and the next step we agreed on."

After the call

• Send recap email within 2 hours using the customer's own language from Implication/Need-Payoff
• Log MEDDIC fields that were surfaced (see MEDDIC Deal Qualification Checklist)
• Flag any Champion or Economic Buyer signals for the deal record